Surface noise

Increasing VTF seems counter intuitive, but one usually gets better tracking, smoother playback and ultimately will wear out LP's lesser if you edge towards the high end of VTF for you cartridge. Much of the clicks and pops one hears on old, used vinyl is from mistracking cartridges from previous owners of the records.

In the late 70's Shure was on a kick to lower VTF but most cartridges and especially today will be better at a slightly higher VTF.

NOT DJ SCRATCHING LEVEL OF COURSE :-) But using the range as a guide and adjusting a touch higher than say the middle point.

I suggest you test azimuth. Use the Cardas LP or similar with 1khz through the left and then right channel. Listen for crosstalk in the opposite channel. If one channel has more crosstalk, do the following. Using a hole punch, punch out a small round shim. Place this shim on the side of the cartridge opposite the weak channel.

Sorry, the Bordeaux calls must go now.

One thing no one mentioned that makes a big difference in both tracking and surface noise is a clean stylus. A good stylus brush is a must. It is also important to wet the brush. Dry brushing is just not that effective. I use a drop of my record cleaning fluid on the stylus brush and then clean the stylus with that. It is very effective. With optimized tonearm geometry and a clean stylus, I get good clean tracking all the way to the end of the groove. When I start hearing a little edginess near the end of the record I know to clean the stylus. Imagine sweeping the floor with a broom, now imagine wet mopping the floor. Which one is cleaner?
I also agree that setting VTF to the upper spec limit for that particular cartridge is best. When I set my VTF with my test record, the best tracking results are at the higher settings. Don't forget to recheck the VTA and HTA after adjusting VTF. (love the acronyms)